I struggle fingerpicking on my archtop - it's spec'd at 1 3/4 but certainly doesn't feel like my flatop with the same spec. I'd love one with a nut width like that. I don't supposed these come cheap.....

I have the same issue. My Eastman Pagelli DOES have a 1.75" nut but the nut is cut in such a way that the E's are more inboard on the fingerboard than need be and it is very tight string spacing. My luthier is cutting a new nut to move everything out and get it a little wider (he thinks he can pick up as much as an 1/8th of an inch which believe it or not, makes a huge difference). At the same time, he is going to carve a new saddle (Pagelli's have a separate bone saddle) and notch it for the strings to get a little wider spacing for my picking hand. I'll let you know how it comes out when he's done.

I've owned a 1930 TGL-5 since 1976, and have played bottleneck & country blues style music on it, almost exclusively. It was John's exposure to my playing, and to another local musician, Billy McEwan (who played a 1928 Gibson L-5), that basically pointed him towards building his arch tops with more sustain than is typically heard.

Here's a shot of John & me taken for an article that appeared in Fretboard Journal back in 2009.

Best,
Howard Emerson

Howard,
I am moving toward purchasing an archtop and in my research, I came across this excellent thread of yours. I joined this forum just to respond to this thread. This is excellent for two reasons...

First off: nice playing!

Second: it warms my heart to hear a reference to my long-time friend Billy McEwan. He was an awesome player and a wonderful friend of many years that influenced my playing significantly, even though our styles were very different. Thanks for bringing me back!

I have a 1974 Gibson Johnny Smith archtop with a 1 3/4" nut. That guitar is quite comfortable to play. I will have to remember to measure string spacing on it someday. Many of the archtops of that time only had a 1 11/16" nut, and I would find them way too tight for my style of playing.